VARESE, Italy (UPI) — A weak bladder is keeping many young women from participating in sports or prompting some to give up sports, Italian researchers suggest.

The researchers asked 679 Italian women whether they had ever had urinary stress incontinence. All had regular periods and took part in non-competitive sports.

The anonymous responses showed that around 15 percent said they suffered from the condition — on average for six years.

Being overweight and having had children boosted the risk of urinary stress incontinence, the researchers said.

The prevalence of urinary stress incontinence — defined as an involuntary leakage of urine — is relatively high among women, with some research putting the figure as high as 46 percent.

Of those affected, almost half said the condition occurred during routine activities, while one-third said it occurred solely during sporting activities. The riskiest sports for women, in descending order of magnitude, were basketball, athletics and tennis or squash.

The study is published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.